Top Al Qaeda Leaders Killed in Raids in Iraq
On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki announced the death of two top Qaeda leaders. The killed included the mythical personality who was known as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.
He has been reported dead or detained earlier multiple times and thus his existence was been questioned by the American military leaders a few years ago.
The American military released a statement immediately after Mr. Maliki’s press release stating that a joint raid by the US and Iraqi forces led to the death of Mr. Baghdadi. The raids happened in the late night and early morning hours of Sunday near Tikrit near the home town of Saddam Hussain.
Abu Ayyub al-Masri was the other person who was reportedly killed during the raids according to US officials and Mr. Maliki. Both the dead men were found in hole in the ground. “The security forces surrounded the hole, and when they got them out they were dead,” Mr. Maliki said at the news conference. It was also shared by Mr.Maliki that letters and computers were found which had communication between the two men and Osama Bin Laden.
The operation killed one US soldier in a helicopter crash which did not happen due to enemy retaliation. Top American commander in Iraq, Ray Odierno said, “The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to Al Qaeda in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency,” “The Government of Iraq intelligence services and security forces supported by U.S. intelligence and special operations forces have over the last several months continued to degrade A.Q.I. There is still work to do but this is a significant step forward in ridding Iraq of terrorists.”
The American military also said that Masri was the erstwhile leader of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia who had taken charge after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in 2006. The country has seen a drastic drop in insurgency compared to 2006 / 2007 but it is still hit regularly by violence in the form of car bombs, improvised explosive devices etc.
Al Qaeda, the face of Sunnis in Mesopotamia has its strength significantly reduced since the American soldiers persuaded them to switch sides by paying them money and offering jobs. This became a part of a movement which was known as the Awakening.
